The Cricketer breaks down the details behind the ECB's central contracts
The Cricketer | 24/10/2023 at 13:03
The ECB have expanded how they award contracts, with multi-year deals introduced alongside standard 12-month and developmental deals.
The four contract types are three, two and one-year central contracts, and development.
Who gets which contract?
Central contracts are handed out to players who feature regularly in Test and limited-overs cricket.
From 2016, separate red and white-ball players deals were awarded with some players appearing on both lists.
But in 2021 the system was revised with just one group of players, who are available across all formats, awarded full deals.
In 2023, in reaction to the growing influence of franchise leagues across the world, multi-year deals were awarded for the first time since central contracts were established in 2000.
Who controls availability?
Centrally contracted players have their availability dictated by the ECB. The England staff will determine, for example, when a player might be available for county matches.
Development contracts are given to players, either uncapped on the fringes of selection, who are still proving themselves in the international arena.
They may have made an impact in the white-ball game, for instance, but are yet to establish themselves in Test cricket or vice versa.
Development contracts do not give the ECB overall jurisdiction in the availability and workload of a player. However, because they do receive an additional salary on top of their county wage, the England team is entitled to some say in such matters.
Typically awarded to pace bowlers with less certainty over future appearances they allow the governing body can closely monitor their development and dictate workloads amid an increasingly busy schedule.
How much are they worth?
Full contracts can be worth over £800,000 per annum, though there are some discrepancies.
On top of that pay, players could expect to receive£12,500 per Test and £4,500 for a white-ball appearance - though for the 2023/24 cycle those figures are set to double.
Who currently has a deal?
The most recent set of central contracts began on October 1, 2023 and cover a 12-month period.
Three-year central contract: Harry Brook, Joe Root, Mark Wood
Two-year central contract: Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
One-year central contract: Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley
Development contract: Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood, John Turner
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